Steam-engine valve



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STEAM ENGINE VALVE.

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A. R. BOLUSS.

STEAM ENGINE VALVE. No. 443,233. Patented Dec. 23,189.0.A

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V EJ 2 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE@ ALFRED R. BOLUSS, OF NORlVOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO VILLIAM T. BOTHVELL, OF JERSEY CITY, NEV JERSEY.

STEAM-ENGINE VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,233, dated December 23, 1890.

Application filed July 18,1890. Serial No. 359,156. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED R. BOLUSS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norwood, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Engine Valves; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a combined oscillating and reciprocating valve for steam-engines; and the object of the invention is to provide a simple and automatic valve oper- Vthe-valve-chest, in combination with a pistoncylinder, a piston reciprocating therein, and means actuated by said piston for rocking the valve on its axis.

My improved valve is constructed with an annular exhaust-passage extending entirely around the cylindrical valve, and on each side of this exhaust-passage are two receivingports for the admission of live steam, one of such ports on each side of the exhaust-passage extending entirely through the valve, so as to align with the supply-ports in the chest and piston-cylinder to admit live steam to such cylinder, while the other port extends longitudinally of the valve to admit steam to the chest, whereby the steam-pressure in one end of the chest is adapted to force the valve endwise, and thus reciprocate the valve to cut off the communication between the transvc rse port, the steam-chest, and the piston-cylinder. X'Vhile the valve is receiving steam at one end and admitting steam to the pistoncylinder on one side thereof the steam in the opposite end of the chest and from one side of the piston-cylinder is exhausting through an exhaust-port which is common to both of the pcrts at the ends of the valve, and steam is thus alternately admitted to opposite ends of the valve-chest and on opposite sides of thc piston in the piston-cylinder, while at the same time the exhaust is taking place, so that the steam-pressure in one end of the chest is very materially reduced, and consequently the steam does not act as a cushion to the movements of the valve.

My invention further consists in the combination of devices and peculiar construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand my invention, I will now proceed to a detailed description thereof, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which-n Figure l is a sectional view taken longi-` tudinally through a 4piston-cylinder and a valve constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the valve-chest with the valve omitted, and showing the end of the piston-cylinder in elevation, the parts being on a smaller scale than is represented in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the valve on the plane indicated bythe line of Fig. l. Fig. l is an 'enlarged detail perspective view of the valve removed from the steamchest. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the valve in side elevation and partly broken away to show the exhaust ports and passages in the valve.

Like numerals of reference denote correspon ding parts in all the figures of the drawings, referring to which- 1 designates the piston-cylinder, and 2 thereciprocating piston-head therein. To one end or head 3 of the piston-cylinder is laterally applied the valve-chest 4 of my improved valve 5, and in the opposite end of the piston-cylinder is an opening 6 for the reciprocation of the piston-rod 7, said opening having a steamtight packing or gland of any preferred form.

The piston-rod 7 is made hollow, as shown, and within said rod is fitted the valve-rod S, having a head 9 within the bore of the piston-rod, which head impinges against a nut or collar 9 on the end of the piston-rod. The valve-rod S is somewhat shorter than the length or distance of movement of the piston- .head, and as the said head reciprocates it operates to reciprocate the valve-rod just before the completion of the stroke of the pistonhead, thereby rocking or oscillating the Valve- IOO rod to cut ol'tf the steam at one side of the piston-head and admit steam to the opposite side otsaid piston-head. The t'ree end el the valverod is provided with a series of teeth, forming a rack 10, which teeth mesh with a toothed sector 10', formed on the periphery ot the cylindrical valve The valve-rod passes through and is guidedinan opening 11 in the pistoncyliuder and the steam-chest, and the teeth constituting the toothed vsector 10 on the valve are of such length as to extend longitudinally ofthe valve for a greater distance than the endwise reciprocating movement of the valve to prevent the rack of the valve-rod from becoming disengaged from the valve as the latter reeiprocates.

The valve is inthe form of a cylindrical plug, as indicated in Fig. l, and it is fitted steam-tight in its seat of corresponding form in the steam-chest, in which it is free to rock or oscillate on its axis when operated by the valve-rod and to reciprocate endwise under the pressure of live steam admitted to the steam-chest,

In lieu ot applying my valve-chest to the side or top of the piston-cylinder, l secure the chest to one end or head of the cylinder, and in the opposing walls of the cylinder' and steam-chest are formed a plurality ot openings arranged in two vertical series, one series ot' such openings 12 constituting the steam-supply ports from one end of the chest to the piston-cylinder, and also the exhaustports on the reverse motion of the valve, while the other series of openings 13 form the livesteam ports from the opposite end of the steam-chest to the piston-cylinder and also the exhaust-ports, such independent series of steam-ports beingloeated on opposite sides of the vertical plane ol an exl1aust-port1l,lo cated in the middle of the bottom of the steam-chest. (See Fig.

The oscillating reciprocating valve 5 is formed with a deep wide groove 15 at or near the middle thereof, and which constitutes or forms the exhaust space or chamber in the steam-chest, the valve always occupying such positions in relation tothe exhaust-port 1l as to permit the escape otl spent-steam from the piston-cylinder and the valve-chest through such exhaust chamber or passage 15 tothe exhaust-port 1l. On opposite sides of this central exhaust-passage 15 l provide the exhaust-channels '16 1(5, which are eut in the face ot the plug er valve and extend part way round the valve, the position of these channels 16 16 being such that one channel is in line with the port 12 or13 that is-exhausting steam, while the other channel is out of line with the other port, to permit the tree passage of spent steam from the piston-cylinder to the exhaust-passage 15 andthe port 1l.

The teeth constituting the toothed sector 10 on the valve are situated within the annular wide steam-passage 15, below the peripheryor surface of the valve, so as to avoid contact with the valve-seat.

The steam-lmrts lil extend directly through and open into the piston-cylinder on one side el' the head 2 therein, while the other series ot' steam ports 12 communicate with a steampassage 17, that extends around the side oi' the cylinderi and opens into the opposite end thereof through the other head, as shown in Fig. 1.

Steam is supplied to the chest through a steam-chamber 1S, formed hy a hollow cap bolted to the outside of the steam-chest, and between the chest and supply-chamber are four inlet-ports 10 15) and 2() 20', two of the ports if) 11i being on one side of the exhaustpert '1.4.- and the other two ports 2U 20 on the opposite side of the exhaust-port.

The valve is provided with two transverse ports 21 22 forthe passage of live steam from the supply-chamber to the piston-cylinder, and these transverse supply-ports 21 22 are enlarged at the ends where they open through the valve, so as to cause each port 21 or 22 to coincide with all the openings ot the series of openings constituting the steam-supply ports 12 and 19 or 13 and 20 between the valvechest, the piston-cylinder, and the supplychamber, live steam being conveyed to said chamber through a pipe 2b.

The valve is further provided with two longitudinal steam passages or grooves 2-.t 25, which are'formed in the face of the valve and extend longitudinally thereof from points near the transverse passages 2l 22 to and through the ends of the valve, and Ithese steam passages or grooves 2l 25 are arranged out of line with each other longitudinally ot the valve and adapted to alternately align or coincide with the steam-ports 10 and 20 to permit steam from the steam-chest to alternately pass through said passages to the ends ot the steam-chest, whereby the steam-pressure in one end of the steam-chest acts on the end of the valve to reciprocate the latter, which reciproeation of the valve is effected after the steam has been exhausted from the opposite end of the chest and one side of the piston in the piston-cylinder.

The valve is further provided with exhaustpassages 27 28, which extend through the valve, one end ot' each passage opening into the middle exhaust-chamber 15 of said valve, while the other end of each passage opens through the face of the valve near the end thereof by a port 29 20', respectively, t-he exhaust-ports 29 22) in the valve heilig out ot line with each other longitudinally of the valve and adapted to alternately coincide with exhaust grooves or passages 50 31 in the steam-chest to permit the steam in the end of the chest to be exhausted through either of the passages while the exhaust from the piston-cylinder is taking place.

rlhis being the construction of my improved valve, the operation thereof is as follows: Live steam is admitted to the pistoncylinder through the passage 17, the ports 12, and the transverse passage 22 in the plug which aligns IOO IIO

of the valve-chest through the passage 24,

which aligns with the port 19. At the same time steam is exhausted from the piston-cylinder through the ports 13, the passage 16', the exhaust-chamber 15, and the port 14, and from the opposite end of the steam-chest through the passage 30,the port 29', the passage 28 into the exhaust-chamber 15 and the port 14,. As the piston-head reciprocates in one direction the valve-rod S moves therewith and turns or rocks the valve to throw the ports 22 24 therein out of line with the ports 19 19 and the steam-pressure in the end of the chest moves the valve endwise or reciprocates the same to bring the port 22 into line with the ports 20 and 13 and the passage 25 into line with the port 20 to admit live steam on the completion of the stroke ot the pitson-head to the piston-cylinder and opposite end ot' the steam chest, which rocking reciprocating movements of the valve causes steam to be exhausted from the end of the chest and side of the piston-cylinder into which steam is first admitted through the passages 30 and 27 in the valve, and the passage 17 and ports 12 into the exhaust-chamber 15 and out through the exhaust-port 14E. The operation ofthe parts is entirely automatic and continuous.

Changes in the form and proportion ot parts and details of construction can be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of my invention, and I would therefore have it understood thatI reserve the right to make such modifications as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a piston-cylinder, of a valve-chest secured to the end of the piston-cylinder and having the inlet-ports, suoli as 19, 19', 20, and 20', and a single exhaustport, such as 14, and a valve, such as 5, arranged to alternately align with said inletports and communicating constantly with the single exhaust, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a piston-cylinder and a piston-head, ot a valve-chest having the inlet-ports and a single exhaust-port, a combined rocking and reciprocating valve, such as 5, adapted to alternately communicate with the inlet-ports and remaining in constant communication with the exhaustport, and a valve-rod operated by the pistonhead and connected at all times with the valve to oscillate the same, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a piston-cylinder and a piston-head, of a valve-chest having the inlet-ports and an exhaust-port, and a valve, such as 5, having apositive rocking or oscillating motion imparted thereto by devices operated by the piston-head and having an endwise reciprocating movement under the pressure of live steam admitted and exhausted alternately to opposite ends ot the valve-chest, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination, with a piston-cylinder and a piston-head, of avalve-chest having the inlet-ports and an exhaust-port and a single valve, such as 5, capable of apositive endwise movement and a rocking or oscillating motion on its axis, for the purpose described, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with a piston-cylinder and a piston-head, of a valve-chest having the inlet-ports and an exhaust-port, a valve, such as 5, provided with a single exhaust chamber or passage, the transverse supplypassages extending through the same, and the longitudinal passages extending to the ends of the valve to admit steam alternately to the ends of the valve-chest, substantially as speciiied.

6. The combination, with a piston-cylinder and a piston-head, of a valve-chest having a single exhaust 14 and communicating with the piston-cylinder through the ports 12 13 and with the steam-chamber by a plurality of ports 19 19 and 2O 20', and a combined rocking and reciprocating valve, such as 5, having the central exhaust-passage, the steam-supply passages extending transversely through the same, and the longitudinal passages adapted to alternately align with the ports 19 and 20 between the valve-chest and, steam-chamber, for the purpose described, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with a piston-cylinder and a piston-head, of a valve-chest having the single exhaust and communicating with the piston-cylinder by the ports 12 13 and with the steam-chest by the ports 19 20, each of the said ports comprising a series of openings, and a rocking and reciprocating valve, such as 5, having the live-steam passages extending transversely through the same and of such area or size as to communicate with all of the series of openings constituting the two ports by which steam is supplied from the steamchest through the valve to the piston-cylinder, substantially as described.

S. A cylindrical valve or plug having the annular wide exhaust-groove, the steam-supply passages arranged on opposite sides of said annular groove and extending transversely through the valve, and the longitudinal passages in one face of the valve arranged out of line with each other and extending to and through the ends of the valve, substantially as specified.

9. The combination, with a piston-cylinder and a piston-head, of a valve-chest communicating with the piston-cylinder and the steamchamber by a plurality ot' ports and having a single exhaust-port, a cylindrical valve having the annular exhaust-chamber, the transverse steam-passages and the longitudinal exhaust-passages opening at their inner ends IOO IOS

IlO

into the exhnustepnssilge and at their outer through the face of the valve, suid exhaust.- pnssnges in the vulve communicating alternately with passages leading` to or near the p ends of the valve-chest und arranged out of line with eueh other, substantially :is described, for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination, with apiston-eylinder i und L piston-head, of n valve-chest oom mun icating with the cylinder and with the steamehest by :L plurality of ports and having n single exhaust, n cylindrical valve provided with n central eXlmust-limsszige, the toothed seetor in said passage, the trzuisverse supply und 

